Team:CUHKSZ/pages/project-safety
Project Safety
Our bacteria will be genetically engineered to degrade ethanol in an alcohol-containing solution: liquor or wine. An enzyme called AdhE will be modified and transferred into target bacteria and assist in ethanol decomposition. A special container will be designed to control the concentration of ethanol for the regular survival and degradation process of the bacteria.
Our project will design a domestic device that contains genetically modified E. coli. Our product is to be used in the human body, or in food, as a consumer product that ordinary people buy. Our product will be mixed with alcoholic beverages when using it, so there may be side effects for users to drink such drinks. The growth of our bacteria requires a high concentration of ethanol, they are hard to spread if they enter the environment. Our bacteria will be held in a containing device when being used, there will be a biomedical engineering technic to combine the bacteria with the device and prevent their escape.
Organisms including Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 and Acetobacter pasteurianus CGMCC1.41 will be used in our project. There is no risk could these organisms pose to us in the laboratory, or to our community, or the environment if they escape the lab. E. coli Nissle 1917 is a pathogen that will cause a wide range of gastrointestinal infections. If E. coli Nissle 1917 escapes the lab, an inappropriate amount of intake of this organism may cause diseases such as colitis. Although the Nissle 1970 strain is probiotics, inactivation is still important before deploying the devices after use. Since we cannot depend on that every user will actively sterilization the devices, an automatic/simple inactivation mechanism should be included in the devices. A. pasteurianus CGMCC1.41 has no virulence factors. It is a benign microorganism that has been suggested as a pathogen of neither humans, animals, nor plants. All the strains used by the team are probiotics that can be used in humans. There is no report that these bacteria have biological safety concerns. Our organisms for chassis are the same as our whole organism planning to use in the subject.